World Cup South Africa 2010
History - Groups - Players - Venues
Favorite Players by Country (Germany 2006)
Group C - Argentina:
Hernán Crespo
Place of Birth: Florida, Argentina
Date of Birth: July 5th, 1975
Position: Striker
Clubs: River Plate (Argentina), AC Parma (Italy), SS Lazio (Italy),Inter Milan (Italy), Chelsea (England), AC Milan (Italy)
Crespo made his debut for River Plate during the 1993/94 season, scoring 13 goals in 25 league appearances. He helped River Plate win the Apertura league title, the second of two championships held in Argentina in the year. He helped River win the Apertura title again in 1994. In 1996, Crespo helped River to win the Copa Libertadores, the South American club championship.
He left River for Parma in Italy in August 1996 after he won the silver medal with Argentina in the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics, finishing the tournament as top scorer with six goals. In May 1997, Crespo helped Parma finish runners-up in Serie A. In 1999, with Parma he won both the Italian Cup and the UEFA.
In 2000, after four successful years with Parma, Lazio broke the world transfer record by paying £35,500 000 for Crespo. He ended his first season in Lazio as top scorer in Serie A with 26 goals.
In September 2002, Crespo signed for Inter Milan as replacement for Ronaldo at a price of €40 million.
Crespo signed for English Premiership club Chelsea in 2003 for £16,800 000. However, he had a disappointing season in London, making only 31 appearances in all competitions and scoring 12 goals.
In the 2004 off-season he was loaned out for a year to AC Milan, as requested by his former coach Carlo Ancelotti for the 2004-05 season. Crespo scored two of Milan's three goals on that same year’s final against Liverpool, despite losing on penalties after an inspired Liverpool.
He scored his first league goal of 2005 against Wigan in Chelsea's first game of the season at the JJB Stadium, his second came soon after in his 4th league game, a powerful header against Charlton. Crespo then opened his account in the season's Champion's League campaign with a header against Real Betis. He has since scored against Anderlecht, Portsmouth, Fulham, Newcastle United, Birmingham City, West Ham and Sunderland.
In February 1995, Crespo won his first cap for Argentina national team, in a friendly against Bulgaria in Mendoza, but he had to wait 16 months for his second cap and more than two years for his first goal. He played for his country in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.
As part of Crespo’s comeback of the 2004/05 season, Crespo scored two goals in Argentina's 3:1 World Cup Qualifying triumph over their arch-rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires. This victory ensured Argentina's participation in the 2006 World Cup. These last two goals against Brazil turned him into the all-time top scorer for Argentina in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
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